UPSC Civil Services Current Affairs Articles

Key Highlights on Cool Cities Accelerator Initiative

Climate Change and Urban Heat

• Indian cities facing record-breaking temperatures are joining a global coalition to tackle extreme heat, seen as a severe impact of climate change.
• The initiative, Cool Cities Accelerator, was announced during the C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Coalition Details

• **Participants

Exam-Focused Summary on Cloud Seeding Trials in India

1. Historical Context of Cloud Seeding:
   • First experiments in cloud-seeding in India mentioned by P. Koteswaram (IMD) in January 1970, who conducted initial trials in Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur.
   • The first structured cloud-seeding initiative was noted in a 1968 scheme by the Union Ministry of Food and Agriculture, which projected

Cyclone Montha Impact and Response in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh

Cyclone Details:

• Cyclone Montha struck the eastern coast on October 28, 2025, with wind speeds of 100-110 km/h.
• Made landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
• Affected southern Odisha's Ganjam, Rayagada and Koraput districts, and parts of Telangana.
• Extensive damage to crop and horticulture se

Exam-Focused Notes on EAT-Lancet Commission Report (2025)

Overview

• The EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable and Just Food Systems emphasizes the need for justice to be central in food system transformations due to their significant impact on planetary boundaries.

Planetary Boundaries

• Concept: Defines limits to human activities affecting Earth's systems; crossin

Key Highlights on India's Green India Mission and Forest Restoration Efforts

Government Schemes and Policies

1. Green India Mission (GIM):
   • Revised blueprint targets the restoration of 25 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
   • Aims to create an additional carbon sink of up to 3.39 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.
   • Mission supported afforestation on **11.22 mill

Summary of Key Points on Digital Scams and Trafficking

1. Judicial Attention

• The Supreme Court of India has called for a comprehensive inquiry into the rise of digital scams affecting Indian citizens, focusing on 'digital arrest' scams where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement to extort money.

2. Nature of Digital Scams

• Current digital scams differ significan

Supreme Court Hearing on Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025

Key Facts and Context:

• The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans real money games, related banking services, and advertisements to curb issues related to online gambling and betting.
• Define “betting” and “gambling”: The Court indicated that regular competitions and tournaments, suc

Summary Notes:

Incident Overview:

• An 11-year-old girl, S. Nithisha, a Class V student at Greater Chennai Corporation Primary School, was allegedly beaten by her teacher, Indira Gandhi, for spilling ink on the floor.
• Reports indicate the child suffered from internal bleeding resulting from the incident and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Kalaignar Centenary Super Spe

Canada’s International Student Permit Policy Impact on Indian Applicants

Policy Changes and Visa Statistics

• Canada has reduced international student permits for two consecutive years (2024 & 2025) to mitigate temporary migration and combat visa fraud, particularly targeting students from India.
• In August 2025, 74% of Indian applications for study permits were rejected, a significant

Summary of the Emerging Science Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC)

Event Overview:

• The first ESTIC was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on November 3, 2025.
• The conclave replaces the Indian Science Congress, which had a history predating India's independence.

Key Highlights:

1. Focus Areas:
   • Transition from food security to nutrition securi

Summary Notes on India's IT Sector Transformation

Economic Contributions

• The IT sector contributes approximately 7% to India's GDP, representing around $280 billion to the economy.
• Despite its significant economic role, IT jobs make up only about 1% of the Indian workforce, employing nearly 6 million people.

Recent Challenges

• Major layoffs reported, with **TCS

Notes on India's Energy Transition and Carbon Emissions

Current Energy Landscape

• Installed Capacity: As of June 2025, non-fossil fuel sources constitute about 50% of India's total installed electricity capacity.
• Grid Emission Factor (GEF): Increased from 0.703 tCO₂/MWh (2020-21) to 0.727 tCO₂/MWh (2023-24) according to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
• **Electricity

Exam-Focused Notes on Pigeon Shelter Protests and Government Response

Key Events:

• Indefinite Hunger Strike: Jain monk Nileshchandra Vijay initiated a hunger strike at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, demanding the restoration of the Dadar pigeon shelter (Kabutarkhana) alongside other demands.
• Government Engagement: After discussions with Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Assembly

Key Notes on Kerala's Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (EPEP)

Constitutional & Legislative Framework:

• The success of Kerala's EPEP is supported by the principles of Decentralized Planning as enshrined in the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution, which emphasizes the role of local self-governments in governance and social welfare.

Government Schemes & Programs:

• The **

Exam-Focused Notes on Supreme Court Ruling on Digital Arrest Scam

Key Facts and Figures:

• Scammed Amount: Over ₹3,000 crore reported scammed from victims, primarily the elderly, through digital fraud.
• Judicial Observation: Supreme Court judges highlighted the extensive nature of these scams, indicating the problems are larger than anticipated.

Constitutional and Legal Re

Supreme Court of India on Air Pollution Control Measures

• Supreme Court Directive: The Supreme Court is urging proactive measures to reduce air pollution in the national capital, specifically asking the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to submit an affidavit detailing clear data and an action plan to combat pollution levels.

• Judicial Concern: Chief Justice B.R. Gavai e

Summary of Typhoon Kalmaegi Impact in the Philippines

Typhoon Kalmaegi (locally named Tino) Overview:

• Intensification: Made landfall on November 4, 2025, in the central Philippines.
• Sustained winds: 150 km/h, with gusts reaching 205 km/h.
• Forecast: Expected to move across the Visayas and emerge into the South China Sea by November 5, 2025.

Warnings and Evacuations:

• The Phil

Key Highlights on Climate Change Discourse by Bill Gates

1. Climate Messaging Evolution

• Past Positioning (2019-2021): Gates utilized apocalyptic rhetoric, expressing concerns over climate crises like collapsing ecosystems and mass displacement.
• Current Recalibration: Recently, he indicated that climate change will have serious effects but won't threaten humanity’s survival; h

• Incident Overview: On October 20, Chinese troops ambushed an Indian patrol in the Kameng Division of India's North-Eastern Frontier, resulting in the death of four Indian soldiers. The incident occurred well within Indian territory.

• Government Reaction: The Government of India has lodged a strong protest against the Chinese government, condemning the attack as "unprovoked and unjustif

• Air Quality in Delhi: The air quality in Delhi has worsened, reaching the upper end of the “very poor” category. This situation has prompted political reactions from leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jairam Ramesh of Congress.

• Cloud Seeding Experiment:

  • The Delhi government has spent ₹34 crore on winter cloud-seeding trials aimed at improving air quality.
  • Congress leader

Summary of Facts and Findings Related to the Elephant Incident in Tamil Nadu

1. Incident Overview:

   • Discovery of remains of a 10-year-old female elephant in Mordhana Extension Reserve Forest, near Aravatla village, Vellore, on the Tamil Nadu - Andhra Pradesh border.

2. Location Details:

   • Mordhana RF is located approximately three kilometers from Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary,

Exam-Focused Notes on the Model Youth Gram Sabha Initiative

1. Constitutional Reference:

   • Article 243A: Defines the Gram Sabha as foundational to the Panchayati Raj system, representing every registered voter in a village.

2. Democratic Importance:

   • The Gram Sabha is integral to grassroots democracy, allowing rural citizens to engage directly in decision-making on budgets

Summary of Key Points on India-Taliban Relations

1. Background Context

• The Taliban, previously an insurgency and now the ruling authority in Afghanistan, have rekindled tensions with Pakistan, impacting regional dynamics.
• Afghanistan's borders are contentious, with a length of 2,640 kilometers being disputed.

2. India’s Engagement with Taliban

• Visit and Diplomacy: Taliban

Key Points from the Article

Student Union Elections and Age Restrictions

• Nominee: Sandesh Shivkumar Sonkamble, 24, a final-year BA student at JNU.
• Disability: Lives with Osteogenesis Imperfecta; categorized under locomotor disability.
• Age Restrictions: Per Lyngdoh Committee guidelines:
  • Undergraduate candidates: 17-22 years
  • Postgraduate students: 24-25 years